Why Two F-15s Will Fly the Super Bowl — And Why That Matters

For most viewers, a Super Bowl flyover lasts only a few seconds: a burst of sound, a flash of afterburner, and then it’s gone. But aviation enthusiasts noticed something unusual this year. Instead of the expected pairing of stealth fighters, the flyover featured two F-15 Eagles, reportedly substituted at the last minute for two F-22 Raptors due to “operational needs.”

That phrase—carefully chosen and intentionally vague—has sparked speculation. In military aviation, “operational needs” rarely means convenience. It usually means priority.

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The F-15: The Veteran Air Superiority Workhorse

The F-15 Eagle is not a consolation prize. Designed during the Cold War with one singular mission—win air-to-air combat—the aircraft remains undefeated in aerial engagements. With a powerful radar, high speed, heavy weapons load, and decades of continuous upgrades, the F-15 is still a formidable presence in the skies.

For ceremonial flyovers, the F-15 makes sense:

• Readily available
• Visually impressive
• Less sensitive in terms of mission readiness
• Easier to release from operational tasking

In short, the F-15 is reliable, symbolic, and flexible.

F-22 vs. F-35: Similar Shapes, Very Different Missions

While often grouped together as “fifth-generation fighters,” the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II were designed for fundamentally different roles.

F-22 Raptor: Pure Air Dominance

The F-22 is optimized for air-to-air combat:

• Supercruise (sustained supersonic flight without afterburners)
• Extreme maneuverability via thrust vectoring
• Low observability from all aspects
• Sensors designed to detect and engage enemy aircraft before being seen

The Raptor exists to control contested airspace, especially against near-peer adversaries.

F-35 Lightning II: The Battlefield Integrator

The F-35, by contrast, is a multirole strike and sensor-fusion platform:

• Exceptional ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance)
• Deep strike and precision ground attack
• Networked warfare and data sharing
• Designed to operate as part of a joint, multi-domain force

The F-35 is the quarterback. The F-22 is the enforcer.

Why Pull the F-22s from a High-Visibility Flyover?

Here’s where informed theorizing begins—clearly labeled as such.

Flyovers are planned far in advance. Aircraft and crews are allocated, approved, and scheduled. Pulling F-22s at the last minute strongly suggests a higher-priority requirement emerged—one where the F-22’s unique air-to-air capabilities were non-negotiable.

The U.S. Air Force does not casually reassign Raptors. There are only around 180 operational F-22s, and every flight hour is precious.

Possible explanations include:

• Heightened air defense posture in a sensitive region
• Increased training or readiness operations against advanced adversary aircraft
• Intelligence-driven indications requiring immediate air dominance capability
• Deterrence signaling through posture rather than publicity

None of these require a shooting war. All require the one aircraft built specifically to dominate the air against the best.

A Subtle Signal, Not an Alarm Bell

It’s important to be clear: a change in flyover aircraft does not mean conflict is imminent. The U.S. military adjusts force posture constantly. But the choice of what to pull—and what to substitute—matters.

The fact that:

• F-22s were retained for operations
• F-15s filled in seamlessly
• The explanation stopped at “operational needs”

…suggests prudence, not panic.

In modern deterrence, readiness is the message.

Final Thought

The Super Bowl flyover is pageantry—but it is also policy-adjacent theater. When the most advanced air-to-air fighter ever built is quietly redirected elsewhere, it’s reasonable to conclude that air superiority is being prioritized somewhere that doesn’t involve a football stadium.

The jets we see are impressive.
The ones we don’t see are often more telling.

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